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Wire Jewelry Resource: Jump Ring Measurements

By on February 22, 2012
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by Rose Marion, Wire-Sculpture.com

Wire Jewelry Resource for February 22, 2012

Some patterns call for jump rings measured in OD, some in ID. And many suppliers don’t label every jump ring with the Outer Diameter, Inner Diameter, and Wire Gauge. If you know either the ID or the OD as well as the gauge, you can find your missing measurement.

Jump rings are typically measured by their Inner Diameter, Outer diameter, and wire gauge. For example, if you made your own jump rings from 18-gauge wire around a 5mm dowel, the Inner Diameter is 5mm, the gauge is 18-gauge (or 1.02mm, found in the Wire Conversion Chart). But what’s the outer diameter?

Jump ring inner diameter and outer diameter diagram

To find the Inner Diameter (OD)

Inner Diameter = OD – (wire gauge * 2)

To find the Outer Diameter (OD)

Outer Diameter = ID + (wire gauge * 2)

So using the example of an 18-gauge jump ring made around a 5mm dowel, remembering that 18-gauge is 1.02 mm:

OD = 5 + (1.02*2)

OD = 5 + 2.04

OD = 7.04mm for an 18-gauge jump ring with a 5mm ID.

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4 Comments

  1. avatar

    Val Bogdan

    February 22, 2012 at 8:27 am

    That is great info, thank you. I do chainmaille and love to go off on my own after I follow a pattern once. I combine chain maille and dichroic glass cabs, now if you could tell us how to keep from scratching the colored wire small o-rings! I’ve tried all kinds of coatings, none stay on even through a whole project and also tape which ends up getting in the way.

  2. avatar

    elizabeth g. shelton

    February 22, 2012 at 9:59 am

    Important tip for my glossary. thanks

  3. avatar

    Denise

    February 22, 2012 at 3:18 pm

    I love doing chainmaille but mine seem to come apart. I can’t seem to get the links closed enough or very little pulling opens them up. Any suggestions??

  4. avatar

    Lori Crawford

    February 23, 2012 at 6:17 am

    I love chain maille and this is great information. Thanks!